Oral Health in Institutionalised Elderly: Relationship between Cognitive Impairment, Mortality, Oral Health Related Quality of Life, and Oral Health. Effect of an Oral Health Educational Program to Caregivers

Abstract

This dissertation is based on two samples (Oslo and Granada; figures 1, 2, and table 1), and four studies presented in papers (papers I-IV). Because oral hygiene was a very important variable for us, and the indices that we used to measure this variable requires being more than one natural tooth or a denture, we decided, for both samples, to include people with at least three natural teeth and or who were denture wearers. The study reported in paper III was carried out at the Gerodontology Unit of the Cariology and Gerodontology Department, of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Norway. The reason for carrying out part of the thesis in Norway was because the author wished to apply for the European Doctorate at the University of Granada. The dissertation comprises six chapters. The first chapter is a general introduction describing the relationship between oral health, oral health related quality of life, and cognitive impairment, as well as the role oral health training programmes delivered to caregivers play in improving the oral health of institutionalised elderly. This chapter also presents the aims and hypothesis of this dissertation and introduces the studies that we have conducted in order to address those aims. Chapters II to V introduce each one of the studies carried out. The last chapter summarises the studies, concludes the dissertation, and makes suggestions for futures studies.

El objetivo final de la profesión odontológica es mejorar y mantener la salud de las personas en un contexto comprehensivo de calidad de vida. Muchos artículos reportan estudios de formación en salud oral a cuidadores, y sus resultados son contradictorios. Diseñar cualquier clase de intervención sin tener en cuenta el contexto y los diferentes sujetos que intervienen en el, es por lo menos, incompleto. Esta tesis doctoral aspira a la mención de Doctorado Europeo, por la Universidad de Granada. Por esta razón, se trabajó con dos muestras, en las que se diseñaron cuatro estudios así: • Muestra de Granada: dos estudios prospectivos a 12 meses (artículos II y IV) y un estudio de corte (artículo I). • Muestra de Oslo: Un estudio de corte (artículo III)